ZTE Open C review

Wired rating

Wired

More powerful processor than expected, very cheap

Tired

Basic screen and camera, limited apps in the Marketplace

Price

£60

It's not every day we get to see a brand new operating system in
the mobile phone world. With BlackBerry recently gone, now we have
a new system based on the Firefox browser. It's basic and cheap,
aimed primarily at developing markets, but does it have the clout
to take on Android, iOS or Windows?

Chassis and screen
The Open C is based on Mozilla's popular browser, but it's
actually made by Chinese manufacturer ZTE. This isn't the first
Open phone, and it's built a little on the original's spec, with a
larger screen, more storage and it can now display email
notifications (we told you it was basic). The casing feels
fairly sturdy, with a rubberised plastic backing and metal trim
down the sides. It's not exactly a beauty, but it won't frighten
the horses, and feels more robust than the price might suggest.

The 4in touch screen is just about big enough for easy use and
you can type on it without tripping over your thumbs. The
800x480-pixel resolution is sub-HD, and offers just 233ppi, but it
looks reasonably clear and detailed enough for browsing, even if it
lacks the eyeball-caressing sharpness of an HD screen. Weirdly, the
slightly fuzzy looking icons of the Firefox interface make it look
a bit less sharp than it actually is.

Software and processor
Speaking of which, the interface is a cross between iOS and
Android, with a series of tiled icons on the home screen that you
can add to from the Firefox Marketplace. Like the iPhone there's
only one home button beneath the screen, with no back or
multitasking options. The Firefox Marketplace is predictably
understocked, but you'll find a few favourites there, including
Facebook and Twitter, but no Spotify, Skype or WhatsApp.

The dual-core 1.2GHz processor is backed by 512MB RAM, which
isn't a particularly impressive spec, but in this context it proved
perfectly adequate. Apps opened quickly the admittedly rather basic
games we got from the Marketplace all seemed to play without a
hitch. There's no 4G, not that you'd really expect it at this
price, but there are a few extras. You can use it as a Wi-Fi
hotspot for instance, and there's an FM radio on board.

The advantage of budget handsets is that they often have decent
battery life. That's not quite the case here though, and you'll
find that the 1400mAh battery will take you through a day's worth
of steady use but not much more.

The 3 megapixel camera is a very basic snapper with fixed focus
and no flash. There's nothing in the way of modes or focusing
options either -- just point and shoot. Picture quality isn't bad
though, so long as you're careful with your light -- we've seen
worse. There's 4GB of memory on board (quite a jump from the
512MB of the original), but you can add another 32GB via microSD
card.

Conclusion
The Firefox Open C isn't designed to set the tech world alight.
But as a proof of concept it's certainly on the way. It's ultra
cheap of course, with a deliberately low spec. But it works well
enough, offers and alternative to the big boys and there's no
reason why we shouldn't see specs improve over the next year or
so.